The present invention relates to clothing for use in cold weather and wind conditions and particularly relates to a novel and improved cold weather hat construction.
Garment systems for use in cold weather have been designed, constructed and used in the past. Many such garment systems employ multiple layers of relatively heavy material in an effort to reduce heat loss. Moisture vapor transmission is often not a consideration in the provision of such garments. Moreover, comfort and fit are often sacrificed to the need for preventing heat loss. One such layered garment system which has solved many of the problems associated with providing effective protection against cold weather comprises a unitary system having an outer shell of nylon, an intermediate layer of polyurethane open-cell foam and an interior woven or knit lining fabric. While this system has proved eminently successful, it does have a disadvantage in affording low wind resistance.
Prior garment systems have often not been extended to peripheral garments, such as mittens or, in the present instance, a cold weather hat. The design of a cold weather hat is often complicated by the particular needs of a hat, in addition to those generally characteristic of cold weather body garment systems. For example, a hat should not only have high resistance to heat loss, but also afford adequate peripheral vision, comfort in its conformance to the contours of the individual's head and face, a bill which can be readily and easily displaced between upper and lower positions and generally not be encumbered by ancillary features, such as buckle-type straps.
According to the present invention, there is provided a cold weather hat having an improved construction which not only accommodates the need to reduce heat loss and improve moisture vapor transmission, but also, by virtue of its construction, affords excellent peripheral vision, comfort in its conformance to the contour of the head and face of an individual wearing the hat, a bill which has an over-center snap-like action to facilitate the movement between up and down positions, and a conformal comfortable fit about the sides of the individual's head for minimizing heat loss and precluding in one form hereof the need for ancillary equipment, such as a chin strap.
Particularly, the present invention includes headwear for cold weather environments comprised of a hat for substantially enclosing the head of an individual and including a hat body having top, side, front and back portions, the side portions having ear flaps for covering the individual's ears. The front portion of the hat extends downwardly from the top portion to overlie at least a portion of the individual's forehead and terminates in a lower edge. The ear flaps are movable between a first position overlying the individual's ears and a second position extending upwardly generally parallel to the side portions of the hat for exposing the individual's ears. The ear flaps, in the first position covering the individual's ears, have forward edges which join with the edge of the front portion to outline top and side portions of the individual's face, the forward edges of the ear flaps lying naturally in close-fitting conformance to and about the individual's face and throughout their lengths. In this manner, the side edges of the ear flaps are spaced back somewhat from the level of the individual's eyes such that excellent peripheral vision is afforded. Additionally, the ear flaps, while readily and easily movable between the first and second positions, are constructed to conform naturally and without additional material to the downwardly and inwardly curved side portions or contours of an individual's head. Thus, the ear flaps, in their first or ear-covering position, fit snugly and comfortably about the individual's face, without the aid of ancillary devices to obtain and maintain that conformance.
The materials from which the hat hereof is constructed include an outer shell formed of a low air permeable material which additionally affords a substantial moisture vapor transmission rate. Alternatively, the outer shell may be formed of a nylon material, with the previously mentioned material forming the inner shell. An intermediate layer of 0.5 inches or more of urethane foam is provided for purposes of warmth. The inner layer is preferably formed of a nylon tricot. An additional advantage of this particular combination of layers of materials resides in the ability of the hat to float in water. Thus, the chance of retrieving the hat if lost "overboard" is substantially enhanced.
In a preferred form hereof, the side portions of the hat and the lower distal end portions of the ear flaps have cooperating hook and loop fasteners such that, when the flaps are moved upwardly to uncover the ears, they may be maintained in such upward second position by engagement of the hook and loop fasteners. Additionally, a bill is provided which projects from the lower edge of the front portion. The bill is movable between a first lowered position projecting forwardly of the hat and a second raised position projecting generally upwardly of the hat, generally conformal to the front hat portion. The connection of the bill to the hat is along a radius greater than the predetermined radius of the forehead portion of the hat and thereby affords an over-center snap-like action whereby the bill can be readily and easily pivoted between these two positions and maintained in the selected position.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the hat is provided with an elastic back strap which serves not only to keep the hat on the wearer's head but also to tension the ear flaps in either their up or down positions. The back strap is permanently attached and sewn to the body of the hat along the rear margin of each of the ear flaps and, thus, does not require snaps, buttons or Velcro for purposes of fastening or unfastening the strap relative to the hat. In a still further form of the present invention, the back of the hat behind the ear flaps and below the back margin may be provided with an elastic panel to provide full coverage of the back of the neck. Additionally, the elastic panel biases the ear flaps in both the up and down position for maintenance in the desired positions.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided headwear for cold weather environments comprising a hat for substantially enclosing the head of an individual and including a hat body having top, side, front and back portions, the side portions including ear flaps for covering the individual's ears, with the front portion extending downwardly from the top portion to overlie at least a portion of an individual's forehead and terminating in a lower edge. The ear flaps are movable between a first position overlying the individual's ears and a second position extending upwardly generally parallel to the side portions of the hat for exposing the individual's ears, the ear flaps in the first position having forward edges joining with the front portion edge to outline top and side portions of an individual's face with the forward edges of the ear flaps lying naturally in close fitting conformance and generally inwardly directed toward one another to and about the individual's face and throughout their lengths. The body of the hat is formed of an interior lining, an intermediate layer of primarily open-cell foam material, and an outer fabric layer, the interior lining and the outer layer being stitched to naturally curve the ear flaps inwardly when in the first position, to naturally conform to the downwardly and inwardly curved side portions of the individual's face.
In another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided headwear for cold weather environments comprising a hat for substantially enclosing the head of an individual and including a hat body having top, side, front and back portions, the side portions including ear flaps for covering the individual's ears, the front portion extending downwardly from the top portion to overlie at least a portion of an individual's forehead and terminating in a lower edge. A bill projects from the lower edge of the front portion and is movable between a first lowered position projecting generally forwardly of the hat and a second raised position projecting generally upwardly of the hat and generally parallel to the front hat portion, the front portion being formed in a natural shape with a predetermined radius approximating the average radius of an individual's forehead. The bill is secured to the front hat portion along a seam having a radius greater than the radius of the front hat portion, the bill being bowed in opposite directions when in the raised and lowered positions and passing through an over-center position between the raised and lowered positions. The bill is secured to the front hat portion such that the radius of the seam approaches the predetermined radius upon displacement of the bill from the over-center position toward the raised position or the lowered position.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved cold weather hat having various improved features, including affording excellent peripheral vision, a natural conformance of the hat, particularly the sides of the hat forming flaps which cover the ears, to the contour of the individual's head, a snap-up/down bill with simple one-stroke movement between those two positions and formed of a material affording improved heat loss reduction and higher moisture vapor transmission rates.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification, appended drawings and claims.